Key Questions to Address When Considering a Career Change

Business people waiting for job interview

Addressing key questions when considering a career change is important. Considering the direction you want your career to take helps determine which path might be right for you.

Reflecting on key questions when considering a career change helps you decide which industry, field, and job might best fit your goals, interests, knowledge, skills, experience, and accomplishments. These questions can help.

Ask yourself these key questions when considering a career change.

What Does Your Career Do for You?

Focus on your reasons for wanting a career. Examples include:

  • Belief in the company’s mission
  • Having prestige
  • Earning a paycheck
  • Accomplishing goals
  • Advancing within the organization
  • Attaining a dream job

Why Are You Considering a Career Change?

You could be considering a career change for a variety of reasons. Examples include:

  • Dislike for colleagues, coworkers, or your manager
  • Lack of challenges
  • Feeling in a rut
  • Wanting to perform different work
  • A downturn within the industry

What Makes You Human?

Your soft skills are an essential part of being human. These skills and your transferrable skills can help you compete in a different line of work with candidates who have experience in the field. Your soft and transferrable skills can help you stand out and be contacted for interviews.

What Makes You Stand Out at Work?

Determine what you can do better at work than anyone else. Clarifying your superpower shows self-knowledge and confidence, two characteristics that attract employers. Demonstrating your excellence in this area gives you a competitive edge when changing careers.

What Do You Do That Is Essential?

Focus on why you carry out your job duties and responsibilities. Include what your colleagues and coworkers would do if you were absent. Emphasize why someone else could not pick up the slack.

For instance, you might know more than anyone else about a project you are working on. Or, perhaps you are working on more tasks at once than anyone else. Focus on what you do and why you are the only one who can do it.

What Do You Do That a Robot Cannot Do?

The rise of automation means that robots are taking over many job duties and responsibilities. Therefore, skills related to these areas are no longer important to employers. As a result, you must focus on the skills you have that only humans can demonstrate.

What Are You Learning from Your Work, and What Do You Want to Learn?

Your areas of interest are essential to maintain engagement in your work. Therefore, you want a career emphasizing learning about what fascinates you and sparks excitement.

Who Are You Serving or Giving Back to with Your Work?

Determine the types of social responsibility that matter most to you. Then, look for companies prioritizing serving or giving back in this area. You should be able to find organizations that pay employees to volunteer in these areas.

Do You Want Help with Your Career Change?

Partner with HireCall for guidance and support with making a career change. Visit our job board to start the process today.